The present application relates generally to faucet assemblies. In particular, the present application relates to a faucet mount assembly.
Conventional faucets generally include external components (e.g., spout, handles or levers, bonnets, and an escutcheon or base, etc.) and internal components (e.g., yoke, valves, etc.). The bonnets and escutcheon are generally configured to cover the yoke and valves to conceal them from the view of the user. Yokes receive water (i.e., selectively through opening and closing of the valves), mix hot and cold water, and transfer water to the spout. Yokes also provide a structure for faucet rigidity and for mounting the faucet to a surface such as a countertop or other surface where the faucet may be mounted.
Referring to FIG. 1, yokes have conventionally been provided as unitary members that are cast (e.g., sand cast) from a material such as brass. The materials and manufacturing processes used to form conventional yokes limit variations to the form of the yoke and, thus, dictate certain aesthetics of faucets. Further, because certain grades of brass may contain trace amounts of elements such as lead, faucet manufacturers have been forced to utilize different types of brass that include fewer undesirable impurity elements. These grades of brass, however, are significantly more expensive than the grades of brass that have historically been used, which has resulted in increased costs to manufacture faucets employing brass yokes. Yokes made from the lower-impurity brass are also more difficult to manufacture, which further increases the manufacturing cost.
It would be advantageous to produce a faucet that includes a yoke that is configured to address one or more of the foregoing issues. It would also be desirable to provide a yoke that provides the functions of traditional yokes but that utilizes materials that are relatively simple to form, lightweight, and low cost as compared to brass materials used previously.